If you are attending Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC), here is everything you need to know. I hope this helps and if you have any more questions, feel free to contact me!
*Disclaimer: these tips are from forums, tweets, friends, and my experiences. Take this advice as you will.*
How to Start Planning
EDC takes a lot of planning and here are the things you need to start thinking about to start planning: budget, tickets, flights, where to stay, and transportation.
Budgeting for EDC
I’ve gotten asked how much an EDC trip can cost and it can vary depending on the experience you want.
Here is what my first year of EDC in 2017 looked like:
- Ticket: $415.15
- Shuttle Pass: $110.95
- Hotel Room at New York New York for 4 nights: $75 (This is my portion. It was split between a group of people)
- Outfits & Accessories: ~$250
- Food (snacks in room, meals not at EDC, food at EDC): $150
- My EDC 2017 Total: $1,050 (**estimate I could have spent more**)
This is what it looked like for EDC 2018:
- Ticket: $409.00
- Premier Parking Pass/Gas: $42.49 (split with a group)
- Airbnb: $50 (split with a group)
- Outfits & Accessories: $100 (had gotten free outfits from brands/repurposed other festival clothing items)
- Food: $100 (our airbnb had a kitchen so we stocked up so I wasn’t spending as much money on food this year)
- My EDC 2018 Total: $701.49
This is what it looked like for EDC 2021 with camping; we also stayed on the strip the night before camp:
- EDC Ticket: $474.90
- Camp EDC: $324.75
- Flight: $252.38
- PRE-EDC TOTAL: $1052.03
- Walmart Order $200/4 = $68.75
- Supplies: $106
- + Supplies = 1226.78
- Stay in Vegas
- Stay at the ARIA: $400/4 = $100
- Lyfts: $30
- Food & Drink: $113.95
- + Night in Vegas: $1469
- At EDC
- Braids: $120
- Food & Drink at EDC: $383
- Merch: $160
- + EDC: $2132
The biggest advice is to figure out what works for your budget and save!!!
Tickets
You have three options when it comes to tickets, all of which you can have payment plans for to help you budget paying for these tickets. FYI: EDC did sell out in April of 2018, one month before EDC. Secure your ticket now or if it sells out purchase from reliable sources.
- GA – The cheapest ticket that gets you entrance into the festival.
- GA+ – Pay a little bit more than GA for quicker lines into the festival and nicer bathrooms.
- VIP – Ball out on the VIP experience which includes: fast entry and VIP-exclusive amenities such as gourmet food and drink options, special activities, and entertainment. Take in the view from designated elevated platforms at certain stages. There’s a VIP Ferris wheel, hookah bar, VIP Splash Pool, body paint, and more!
Flights
Start looking at flights now! I highly recommend flying in on Thursday to get settled in, walk around the strip, and whatnot. This is just to make sure if you have any flight delays or issues that you are giving yourself the day before to get situated. EDC also goes until Monday morning at 5 AM so I recommend getting a flight later in the afternoon/evening. Another option is giving yourself a day to recover and flying out Tuesday make sure you have your hotel reservation matched up to the nights you’ll be staying in Vegas.
If you’re driving, I recommend the same thing. My first year we drove from Arizona and got there on Thursday evening and left Monday afternoon to drive back to Arizona. We also let our hotel room know we needed to check out later on Monday.
Where to Stay
There are several options you have: hotels, Airbnb, or Camp EDC.
Hotels
Start figuring out if you want to stay on the strip or not. My first year we stayed on the strip which was fun to explore on the Thursday before, but otherwise, we didn’t do anything on the strip once EDC had started. If you want to participate in EDC Week and do all the pool parties, then staying on the strip is a great option for you.
One pro to booking a hotel is you can reserve it and then don’t have to pay until you check in. EDC also has partnerships with various hotels that may have deals when you stay with them. If you decide to stay at a hotel, you will have to look at the EDC shuttles to get there unless you have a friend willing to drive. Rideshares are also an option.
It is nice to come home to a bed and shower, but it makes getting to EDC a little tricky.
Airbnb
You can find a great deal with Airbnb from time to time. If you and your squad want to go in on a nice Airbnb and all split it, it could be more cost-effective and fun. I enjoyed staying at an Airbnb in 2018 because it came with a kitchen so we could have our own food there. Our host also stayed there and had three dogs so that was fun. We opted in for driving to EDC from our Airbnb because it was only a 15-minute drive to the festival and we had a friend willing to drive.
Camp EDC
I camped at EDC in 2021 and it was by far my favorite place to stay for EDC. Mainly because you don’t have to deal with traffic getting to EDC. You can learn more about my Camp EDC experience here.
Transportation to EDC
Figuring out how you are going to get to EDC honestly depends on where you are staying and where in relation you are to the Speedway.
Shuttles
After EDC 2017, I will probably never do the shuttles again. Getting to the festival was no issue, getting home took a ridiculous amount of time. We would leave the festival 4:30-5 AM and wouldn’t get back until 9:00AM+. Some could say we should have left earlier but it’s EDC HOW DO YOU NOT STAY THE FULL TIME?! Anyways, shuttles are a great option for when you are staying on the strip, it’s a very easy and convenient option to have a guaranteed ride there and back. I didn’t hear that many issues with shuttles since 2017, but it just depends.
Rideshares
I have never taken an Uber or Lyft to EDC, but from what I’ve heard is that they can get pricey with surge pricing and whatnot. I have had friends have some luck in paying a cheap price for a ride, but just kind of depends. Choose this option at your own risk.
Driving & Parking
If you have someone willing to drive, I highly recommend driving to the festival and doing a premier parking pass. In my first year, I had friends who beat us to the festival, and getting home from the festival drove while we were still waiting in lines for shuttles. In my second year, our group drove and the plus side to doing premier parking is that you have a separate entrance from regular parking which gets you to the festival quicker. When leaving the festival, it took less than an hour to get out and we got home at a reasonable time.
How to Prepare
Packing
Check out the packing list here.
Security
Security can depend on the entrance you go in, what time you go in, and the security guard you get. Make sure you check the allowed and prohibited lists.
What to Wear
You can watch my video to get some inspiration. I also look at photos on Instagram to get more ideas. My favorite brands are Rolita Couture, Rave With Mi Gente, and Tasteful Girls. Lunchbox is my go-to for hydration packs.
How to Survive
- I say this with every tip on preparing for a festival: DRINK WATER & STAY HYDRATED.
- This year I also had to sneak in Advil because my feet were killing me I highly recommend it.
- It was also super windy this past time and I got sick afterward because I wasn’t smart in taking any allergy medication for it. Prepare yourself with a bandana and allergy medicine.
- Take advantage of SLEEP as much as possible in between the days of EDC. Your sleep schedule will get messed up so prioritize as much sleep as you can get. When you return from EDC, do your best to get your sleep schedule back on track.
How to Enjoy EDC
- Go early for the kickoff sets at Cosmic Meadows
- Go early to check out the different stages and amenities
- Make friends with strangers
- Trade Kandi
- Experience at least one set at each stage
If you are attending EDC, have an amazing time! It is seriously the experience of a lifetime. Enjoy every moment. Let me know if you have any more questions, I want you all to have the most amazing time possible!
